


The Abandoned

by JQueenofHugs (bifangirl)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Minecraft, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ya Dead Ya Dead (Achievement Hunter)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26391316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bifangirl/pseuds/JQueenofHugs
Summary: In a world abandoned by the gods, everyone has a story. There is grief behind every smile, a tragedy in every village, and ashes scattered on every breeze. Sometimes it's better not to ask, to keep the secrets locked away. But some stories are better told, shared with all the world.Or: backstories and lore for YDYD 3.
Relationships: Lindsay Tuggey Jones/Michael Jones
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue - The Disaster

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Abbeysquidd, cress_ent, and Ella_May_Lowell for letting me yell at you guys about this, love y'all <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A mountain range stands tall in the center of Artech..._  
>  Or: When the gods left the world behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Non-graphic violence, referenced character death  
> Spoiler warnings: None (for this chapter)

A mountain range stands tall in the center of Artech, rain gently falling down on the fishing village nearby while children run through the center of town laughing. The wind picks up, the rain growing heavier as a storm brews, and the parents hurriedly usher their kids inside, working quickly to prevent disaster. In the center of the mountain, the sounds of roars echo through the caves and tunnels, a dragon awakening from her long sleep.

On the other side of the mountain, a group of hunters hurry through the woods, lightning striking a nearby tree and lighting it on fire. An arrow thuds into a tree as a single hunter stops and takes aim at a green creature following them. The second shot hits its target, but the beast keeps moving, hissing menacingly. The hunter barely manages to dive out of the way as it expands and explodes, leaving destruction in its wake. A third and final shot flies through the trees, hitting a rock and snapping in half. The hunters continue their path through the forest, hurrying towards the distant castle.

Inside the castle, servants and nobles alike rush about in a panic. A Mage stands in front of a golden throne, waving their arms about animatedly as they gesture towards the cracked stained-glass window - the one depicting the god of luck. A few knights watch cautiously, one of them wincing at the sound of a nearby tree falling. A messenger bird is carried to the window and sent to fly out, its wings desperately flapping as it flies to a town next to the sea.

A bright light glows in the center of the town, several Mages rushing around and casting various spells. Waves crash against the shore, ocean spray showering everything nearby as the wind grows stronger. Fallen leaves flutter up into the air, spiralling around the town center before vanishing into the storm. The center glows brighter, a Mage’s eyes flashing blue as they throw a note up to vanish with the spiral of leaves.

The note is swept away by the wind, across the ocean to a small island surrounded by crashing waves. A villager plucks it out of the air, while others hurry in an attempt to save their homes. A mother clings on tight to her child as the current threatens to sweep them both away, broken pieces of a raft drifting through the water next to them. Under the water, the merfolk let out screeches of pain and fear, the water contorting and bubbling around them. The letter flutters into the ocean, forgotten as the townsfolk stumbles back from a purple-eyed enderman. The enderman grabs a nearby brick and teleports away off the island, towards a small hill next to the sea.

It lands next to a small city, teleporting quickly in an attempt to escape the rain. It startles the occupants of a house, dropping its brick before teleporting away once more. A bell rings in the center of the city, the city guard beginning an evacuation as zombies and skeletons begin to burst out of graves. Winged phantoms swoop down from the sky at the fleeing citizens, arrows firing up at them from the guards. The citizens flee into the nearby desert, rushing towards a distant temple.

Hidden behind the temple, a small desert village hides within their walls from the calamity happening around them. The illusion of peace in the town is shattered by the sounds of screams outside, yet the residents seem unperturbed by the danger. Children run around and play, seemingly oblivious to the disaster in the world. Adults exchange worried looks briefly before watching their kids play in the streets. The village warriors hurry to the walls, catching a brief glimpse of the pandemonium outside before ducking back down out of sight. They throw spears down at the hordes of creatures, yet nothing can stop the calamity. A spider scurries up the walls to them, eyes glowing red, and its corpse is the only sign of the impact the curse has on their homes.

And, above them all, watching the chaos and destruction unfold, stand the gods. Their faces expressionless and blank, they reach out their hands in unison, pointing downwards at the world. There are words spoken in an ancient language, but nothing can be heard over the fear. The air around them glows brilliantly, a final lightning bolt striking the ground as they vanish from view. And the storm slows to a halt, everything the same as before, and yet entirely different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prologue of what I've referred to as YDYD fic for a few months! Updates will likely be slow, but I'll try to get the first chapter up as soon as possible! (Note: school just started again, so I'm trying to balance homework with writing) (Note: despite the title of this work, I will not abandon it)


	2. Chapter 1 - Geoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’ve always been adventurous, and by the time they’re teens, their city feels too much like a cage for their liking. Their home that once felt like an adventure on its own isn’t enough anymore, and so the only thing they _can_ do is leave. They spend the rest of their teenage years preparing to leave, and then they _do_ , running away in the dead of night to explore. It’s years before they even think of returning home, though homesickness plagues them wherever they go.  
> “Do you miss it?” Geoff will ask in the dead of night sometimes, and they’ve had this conversation so much that Jack doesn’t even need to ask what he’s talking about.  
> “Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Major Character Death, blood and violence (minor), disease and plague

Geoff grows up in one of the larger cities in Artech, a bustling settlement with seemingly too much to do. He grows up with a boy from the outskirts of town, Jack, and they quickly become best friends. They’re quite possibly the happiest duo in the whole land, but boredom overwhelms that contentment quickly.

They’ve always been adventurous, and by the time they’re teens, their city feels too much like a cage for their liking. Their home that once felt like an adventure on its own isn’t enough anymore, and so the only thing they  _ can _ do is leave. They spend the rest of their teenage years preparing to leave, and then they  _ do _ , running away in the dead of night to explore.  It’s years before they even think of returning home, though homesickness plagues them wherever they go.

“Do you miss it?” Geoff will ask in the dead of night sometimes, and they’ve had this conversation so much that Jack doesn’t even need to ask what he’s talking about.

“Always.”

Sometimes they’ll talk more - reflecting on their childhood memories and sharing nostalgic stories - but other times, they’ll leave it at that, silence filling the night. And so, when they finally  _ do _ start to make their way home, the conversation is nothing more than a small change in wording.

“Do you miss it?”

“Yes.”

There’s a storm that starts as they’re beginning to make their way back to Bronzegate, lightning and thunder crashing overhead. Geoff exchanges a glance with Jack before urging his horse into a gallop, speeding towards the city as quickly as possible.  _ “What the fuck is going on?” _

What greets them both is a disaster; a terrifying scene plays out before them. Winged phantoms swoop down from the sky, and the screams echoing from the city mix with the screeches of the creatures. An enderman teleports behind them, glowing purple eyes glaring at the pair as it lets out a cry of anger and pain. A flash of lightning sets fire to the ground for a brief second, the rain hissing and sizzling against the flames as they’re extinguished. A resounding  _ BOOM _ of thunder spooks the horses, and they buck the pair off before bolting. Jack takes off after them before stopping, staring at what’s in front of him.

The roof of his family’s barn creaks and collapses, and Geoff has to hold Jack’s arm to keep him from running inside. “Jack, wait!” he tries, but his friend breaks free from his grip. “JACK!”

He watches as his friend runs inside the barn, hand outstretched as though trying to grab him again. The screech of a phantom echoes above him once more, and he looks up just in time to see it swoop down at him. He tries to dive out of the way, but the monster’s teeth clamp around his shoulder, and he lets out a shout as it starts to lift him.

“GEOFF!” A sword comes down on the creature, spraying him with greenish blood as Jack cleaves it in half. He falls back down to the ground, landing heavily on his side. “You okay, Geoff?!”

“I-” he starts, wincing as he tries to stand. “The city, is it-"

He’s cut off by a loud bang, and the two watch in horror as the clocktower in the center of Bronzegate begins to crumble and collapse. He can distantly see figures rushing into the desert, but he can't tell if they’re friend or foe from this distance. His unspoken question is answered a second later as he watches, even through the rain, a lone archer fire an arrow into the crowd of people. He can imagine the screams, even though he can barely hear himself think over the storm. Lightning flashes once more, and he turns away from the sight it illuminates, trying his best to burn it from his memory. But the image of the Bronzegate wall crumbling will never leave his mind.

Jack grabs his arm, and together they run back towards the forest to take shelter under the trees. He sits numbly as his friend bandages his arm and then builds a fire, his thoughts on other things. There is silence for a long moment before Jack breaks it.

“It’s-  _ they’re _ all gone, aren’t they…” Geoff winces at the grief in his friend’s voice, unable to respond. “Our families, our friends, our  _ homes _ … Everything.”

“I-” There’s nothing he can say, no way to respond that could possibly help, and so he lets his voice die, and he shuts his mouth. He shakes his head mutely as though to deny it, but he knows his fear and pain shows on his face - there’s no hiding it, not at this point.

They sit in silence until the fire begins to die, Jack rising and starting to walk away before Geoff reaches out and grabs his arm.

“ _ What _ , Geoff?” Jack’s false irritation poorly conceals his concern, something that becomes more apparent as Geoff rises to and makes to go with him. “Geoff, it’s  _ fine.  _ Nothing’s going to-”

His words are interrupted by a sizzling hiss nearby, and Geoff’s eyes widen in alarm. Acting on instinct, he dives forward and knocks Jack away just as a loud  _ BOOM _ sounds, breaking the peace of the night. Pieces of bark and rocks cover the pair, dirt clumps raining down from the air as they lie there in shock, the force of the explosion having knocked them further into the darkness.

Geoff moves to push himself up from the ground and winces as he puts weight on his shoulder accidentally. “What-” he starts, coughing slightly from the dust in the air. “What was that?”

Jack doesn’t respond, instead staring in shock at the crater where their fire once was. The same hissing noise sounds nearby, and Geoff spins around to come face to face with a strange green creature, it’s skin blending in with the foliage around them. He barely has time to react, whirling around again and sprinting away as it hisses threateningly once more.

“Jack,  _ RUN! _ ” He dives out of the way as he shouts, turning around in horror just to come face to face with an explosion. He barely manages to raise his makeshift shield, blocking his eyes with his arm as wood chips fly through the air. He coughs as he crawls forward, ears ringing. “JACK?” he tries to shout, but he can barely hear himself.

When the dust has cleared up, he sees Jack on the other side of the crater, the remains of his shield raised. Looking at his friend’s face, he sees a mirror of his own horror, and he shudders.

“What the fuck was that?” Jack shouts after a pause, grabbing for his sword. Geoff does the same, but all he finds is an empty scabbard. He finds his blade flung across the clearing, the iron covered in a layer of ash, dust, and dirt.

“I… don’t know,” he says in disbelief. In all their years of adventuring, they’ve never encountered something that  _ blows itself up _ . He shudders.  _ What the fuck did that storm do? _ There’s another flash of lightning, and he flinches at the following thunder. “Jack, I think we need to move.”

He struggles back to his feet and winces, gratefully accepting the hand his friend holds out to him. He leans heavily on Jack as they make their way through the trees, shivering as he imagines eyeless skulls watching him from the shadows.

It’s nearly morning when they stumble into another devastated town, aching from their wounds and exhausted. The townsfolk spot them, shouts ringing through the air as Geoff nearly collapses on the spot. A bell sounds, and someone who looks like a healer hurries forward. He can barely make out any sound through the fuzziness in his head, but he  _ knows _ something’s being said.

“Wh-” he starts to say, but he passes out before he can finish his question. When he wakes up the next morning, the healer is talking to Jack and another villager in the corner. His friend glances over in his direction, his face lighting up with relief when he realizes that Geoff’s awake.

He can still barely comprehend words, and everything that follows is a blur, but he gets the gist of it - the best way to repay the town is to help rebuild. They might have been too late for Bronzegate, but they’re not too late for everyone here, and Geoff doesn’t even think of complaining about their new job.

Except they spend the next year repeating the same cycle - running from mobs, showing up injured at a ruined town, getting help, and helping out the townsfolk as payment - and it feels like an endless loop. Not for the first time, Geoff wishes this was one of their adventures - one of the ones from  _ before _ .

Instead, there’s a feeling of hopelessness all throughout the air, and as much as Jack tries to be the optimist, Geoff can see past it. They’ve known each other for too long for their masks to be anything but transparent. They’re both so  _ tired _ of it all, tired of having  _ nowhere _ and  _ nothing _ , having no one but each other. He dwells on these thoughts constantly as he works, and he has a feeling that Jack does the same.

“You’re one of the ones helping out with rebuilding, right?”

A new voice scares Geoff out of his introspective loop, and he’s simultaneously terrified and thankful. He turns around to see a man in a red cloak standing there, and tries to slow his breathing and calm his heart. “Uh yeah, that’s me,” he replies hesitantly, nearly dropping the materials he’s holding. “Are you here to help or are you just here to jumpscare me?”

The man doesn’t laugh, but he does smile slightly. He walks forward to examine the house in front of them, the one Geoff can’t quite figure out what happened to. Nearly an entire wall is missing, and pieces of brick and stone litter the ground around it. Every so often, it creaks and groans like it’s about to collapse - a sound he remembers from his return to-

“Looks like a creeper blew it up.”

“A ‘creeper’?” The Disaster meant new terms had to be created, sure, but he doesn’t think he’s ever heard this one before.

“The walking bombs? The green assholes that like to explode in your face? A Hunter coined the term.”

Geoff feels lightheaded as he looks at the ruined house, remembering the first night after the storm. “A creeper did  _ this _ ?” he asks, but he already knows the answer. He’s just thankful he and Jack had their shields on them, or else… He shudders - that’s enough thinking about  _ that _ possibility.

The man nods solemnly, and the pair work in silence for the rest of the time. It’s only after he and Jack have left town that he realizes he forgot to ask for the strange man’s name. He teaches Jack the term before spending the rest of the time lost in thought, only startled out of it by an alarmed cry.

“CREEPER!” Jack shouts, pulling Geoff back. Sure enough, one of the green mobs stands on the path ahead of them, hissing menacingly. Above the hissing, he hears a voice shout, and he pauses, pulling out his battered bow.

“Jack, d-”

“Go away, you green fuck!”

Instantly, the creeper turns around and hisses like it's about to explode. Geoff raises his bow to shoot it, but Jack is faster, rushing forward and cleaving through the monster with his sword. Hurrying to catch up, Geoff offers his hand to the man lying on the ground.

“You can  _ kill _ those explode-y fucks?”

“‘Explode-y fucks’?” Geoff snickers and Jack raises an eyebrow at him.

“We call them ‘creepers’,” his friend says instead. “Though ‘explode-y fucks’ would be just as accurate.”

There’s an awkward silence as Geoff’s laughter dies down and the three stand, staring at each other.

“... I’m Jack, by the way.”

The man startles as though he didn’t realize they’d never been introduced. “I’m Alfredo.”

“And I’m Geoff!” he cuts in, trying to get the conversation over with. “And I’d appreciate it if we’d run quickly please.” He points at the horde of mobs slowly gathering as the sun begins to set. “Like right now.”

Alfredo jumps when he notices, looking around nervously. “Uh…” He pulls out a stick crudely shaped like a sword and winces. “Fuck this shit,” he says and bolts back down the path. Geoff exchanges a quick glance with Jack before following him; there are far too many mobs to fight right now. They hurry towards the nearest town, and when morning comes, Alfredo is still there.

“Do you guys mind if I… travel with you?” he asks, and Geoff nods without hesitation. A trio is better than a duo in the hellish world they live in, and he and Jack have been alone for too long. They need all the help they can get. They leave the town as a team, more confidence than ever before, and they continue with less fear than they’ve ever felt.

It’s Geoff that comes up with the idea of Achievement City, turning excitedly to his friends and stopping them in the middle of the road. “Hey guys, what if we built a city?” he asks them, only to be met with a mixture of incredulous and blank stares. “Like a safe haven or something?”

“Geoff, there’s  _ three _ of us,” Alfredo replies, staring at him like he’s gone mad. “How are we supposed to make a city with three people???”

“While I hate to agree with Alfredo, he’s absolutely right here,” Jack adds, dodging the rock thrown at him. “Three people is barely a household! It’s not even close to a town, let alone a whole  _ city! _ ”

“Well- I- We’ll- Uh- I guess- We’ll figure it out,” he stutters out, feeling his face go red. “Look, we’ll just find a place to build it and start working on it and maybe-”

“Maybe it’ll become a whole  _ city _ ?!”

“Exactly!” Geoff exclaims, ignoring the incredulity in Alfredo’s voice. He’s vaguely aware of his friends exchanging glances behind him, but he can’t bring himself to care. “What could go wrong?”

“Geoff-”

“Eh, why not,” Alfredo cuts in, and now it’s his turn to dodge a thrown rock. “Geoff’s right, what’s the  _ worst _ that could happen?”

Jack lets out a groan of frustration and hangs his head in defeat. “Fine, whatever you guys say.”

Geoff’s shout of celebration attracts the attention of a zombie, but he doesn’t care. They haven’t had a place to belong in years, and even if it doesn’t become a city, their own house is better than nothing.

They spend the next few days searching for a place to build their home, and eventually, when they’ve run out of areas to look, they turn to the mountains. They’ve all heard legends of the mountains, of the beasts that roam the night, hunting relentlessly. It’s probably the worst possible spot to try to build a safe haven, so of  _ course _ it’s the place they pick.

“I think I’ll call it ‘Achievement City’,” Geoff says proudly after they’ve built their own house.

“Achievement City? Isn’t that a bit of an ambitious name?” Alfredo’s voice is skeptical, and he doesn’t even have to turn his head to know that his friend is staring at him.

“What? No, of course not,” he answers, already making the sign. “Besides, it’s too late to change it now!”

“I don’t think that’s- Okay.”

The three of them live there alone for about two months before a group shows up in need of help. And then more people show up. And more houses get made, and a wall gets built, and it begins to look like a small settlement - a haven. Geoff gives his friends a smug smile, but they roll their eyes and turn away.

Slowly, more and more people begin to filter into the haven until there are enough people for it to be called a city. It takes a long time, but eventually, it feels like it’s actually earned its name.

“This really is an Achievement, Geoff,” Jack tells him one night, and he just nods in response, not trusting himself to speak. It’s the anniversary of the city’s founding and the normal quiet of the night is broken by singing and fireworks. He leans against a nearby wall, watching as starbursts fill the skies. Outside the city, he knows the guards are keeping careful watch to make sure it remains safe, but he doesn’t let his anxieties cloud his thoughts. Would it truly be so bad to let himself take a break, just this once?

With a sigh, he makes his way to the center of the city, where the celebration is taking place. One of the Mages catches his eye and grins, whispering to the others on stage. With matching smiles, the final fireworks shoot into the air and spell out the words “Thank you, Geoff Ramsey”. He doesn’t let anyone see his tears.

It’s a plague that eventually tears it all down, sickness spreading through the city before anyone can stop it. No one sees it coming, and none of them know anything about its origins. All it feels like is one final “fuck you” from the gods.

It starts all around the city, only a few cases at first, but it spreads far too quickly and proves itself to be far too deadly. Before they even realize what’s happening, a quarter of the city is sick, and about half of the citizens have left. Geoff watches in terror as all his work crumbles around him.  _ “Looks like your haven wasn’t so safe after all,”  _ whispers the snide and cruel voice in the back of his head, and he doesn’t have the energy to push it away.

He does his best to help everyone he can, pushing aside his own fatigue to save his people. But there’s too much gone wrong, too many sick, and not enough resources, and he’s forced to think that maybe they weren’t ready to make a city.

“Geoff, you have to be  _ careful _ ,” Jack stresses to him after he nearly collapses for the second time in a day. “This city needs you.”

“It won’t need me if there isn’t a city anymore,” he retorts, but there’s no heat behind it. All he feels is exhausted, and he can tell it shows when Jack’s stern face shifts to something softer.

“You can’t help them if you’re gone, Geoff. Just… take a break, okay?”

“I’ll think about it,” he replies, adding ‘take a break’ to his mental checklist and crossing it out immediately. He has no intention of pausing, not right now. He keeps working, keeps doing everything he can to help out, keeps  _ trying _ to save everyone. And then he gets sick too. And everything goes to shit.

He hovers in the air, watching his friends mourn, watching the residents of Achievement City grieve all of the dead, as well as the city itself. The more magically-inclined of the survivors group together, working carefully to make a monument to those lost. Geoff watches as names begin to appear on the walls of his house, watches as his own name appears on one of the center pillars and glows green and gold. The other ghosts crowd around him, around the few remaining residents of the haven, and their whispers blend together to say  _ “Thank you,” _ in a singular voice.

The remnants of the citizens gather at the edge of the city, cautiously spread out just in case. Several of them turn away and hide their faces as others toss torches and hurl flames at their former home. The bright glow of the fire illuminates the green star in the center, next to Geoff’s former house, and the loud crackle of burning wood drowns out any quiet sobs coming from the crowd. Slowly, the group begins to disperse, leaving the burning remains of a legend behind them. Geoff hovers above the flames, watches as everything he’d worked to build burns down, and wishes that ghosts could feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said it'd take a long time for me to update, but I honestly didn't expect it to take _this_ long. That being said, most of the other updates will probably take just as long. Sorry about that.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr ([where-is-your-man](https://where-is-your-man.tumblr.com/))! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me there or in the comments here! I might also be posting a few snippets on Tumblr if you want to see 👀


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